Some direction on the subscription cost...

I'm re-thinking the subscription cost at DG... I want to make subscriptions available to as many people as possible, and my concern is that $25 is just too high.

My desire is to get the subscription cost back down again, under $20 if possible. If we do lower the subscription cost, then I will add extra days to everyone who subscribed at the $25 price.

The question is: does anyone have any input on this matter?

dave

The fact that you're concerned about people being able to afford the subscription, rather than how high you could hike the price and still keep most subscribers, is one of the many things that makes this place absolutely priceless, Dave. I'll gladly pay the $25, and won't feel stiffed for a moment. It's worth every penny. That said, I certainly understand that there are some who won't be able to afford $25, as I've been in the situation (more than once) where there just wasn't any extra money for non-essential stuff.

Truthfully, I don't have a concrete answer for you. I guess I just wanted to say thanks for being the type of person who is worried about what others can afford as opposed to being worried about if you could up the price just a bit more and make more money. I really do think this place is what it is because you run it as a friend and gardening buddy, not as an omnipotent, power-wielding boss.

Thanks for all you do!

What about making a "customer loyalty" sliding scale for the subscription cost? Current members could get maybe a dollar a year off the subscription price to encourage retention and reward the people who helped you build DG. And I think the UBER users should get a very reduced rate because they have already put their time and expertise into DG as "sweat equity" and deserve to be "grandfathered in" at the old rate for a long as they want to stay around.

I would maintain my membership for $25. I probably wouldn't have joined in the beginning for $25 though. I joined for $15, and after knowing what DG is and how it works and how beneficial it is, I agree with RainGazer.

Maybe $15 for the first year and $20 to maintain after that? No, that might encourage name changes and a real mess.

Sorry, I guess I can't help.

I agree that there is a price point issue. I jumped at the $15 membership fee. I would have thought about it a little longer for $20 and $25 is my "do I really need this" point. And yes, I really do need it. PlantScoutt is worth every penny of $25 a year.

Dave, I will be more than happy to pay the $25 when I come up for renewal in September ..... that's just over $2.00 Per Month! But I also understand that there are many folks who cannot afford that amount. I think some probably struggled with paying $15 annually. There are some with large families and when money is tight, it is hard to justify spending money for an online site.

I don't know how you could get it below $20 but I think raising the annual fee in increments of $5 is not bad, I think it may have shocked a lot of folks when it jumped from $15 to $25. Maybe let the subscription fee stand at $25 and watch and wait a few months to see if membership drops .... that would be a sure sign that people don't want to spend that much money. But, then again, as word gets out about this Wonderful Garden, and folks are checking out the "Free" Forums, maybe it will generate more interest and they will join for all the other benefits.

How about a Trial Membership .... maybe a 3 month trial membership at $10? They would be hooked for sure and realize that $25 annually is a Great Deal and they'd be saving money by signing up for a year!

Whatever you do Dave, you know it's hard to please everyone. I hope everyone will stop and think and realize how inexpensive it really is, to have access to "This Garden" and all the information it provides.

Lin

Gosh now that I've gone back and read my post, it sure sounds like I was sucking up to you, Dave! LOL I didn't mean it like that. Frankly, it surprised me that you were rethinking the higher price. I've never had someone or some company come back and say, "Wait, I feel like I overcharged you. Let me give some back."

I used the $5 trial subscription option when I first joined. After that first amount of time, I was completely hooked, and would have gone ahead and paid the $25. You'll be keeping the $5 trial option either way, won't you? I guess really, if that hadn't been available, I probably wouldn't have joined at all. I don't make a habit of joining places that require a membership fee unless I know I'll really use it, and I assume others are the same way.

Maybe I should have kept my opinion to myself, as it doesn't seem to be of any help! LOL

Could you get advertisers to offer a "basket" of coupons with a subscription?

I agree that people see that $25 fee and don't think about dividing it out over the 12 months .... when you do it that way, ( thinking of how much per month) it makes one realize how really inexpensive it is!

For me its Hard but I could get up the 20 dollars but I know people on here who live on a fixed income its harder to get the 25.00.

yes alot of people on the previous thread when this came up talked about that they would pay it gladly and some would do with out a few take out meals to get the money BUT

i know some members here that cant do with meds and food and stuff and just cant get the money up to pay the higher fee.

Everyone loves DG thats no doubt but Some may have to give it up due to the rise in cost. Yes we have the angel fund for people who are in need of it due to injury or stuff like that but some have already posted due to the hike in price they will leave when their subscription is up.


I also know alot of people took advantage of the 15.oo price before the price went up so they would get the deal and not have to pay the 25.00. some people could do that and some couldnt.

Dave its a hard call but some people really wont be able to afford the hike do to fixed incomes like my aunt and some just dont have the money to spare.

me i am still recovering from a car wreck. the bills are piling up and I dont know by the time June comes can I get the extra money either.

I also understand you all have to have money to run the site. so its the rock and hard place thing. we all love ya though and know you are there for us.

Hey Dave: If we had a way of proving our Birth Date, you could give some of us a Senior Citizens Discount! LOL.

$25 is fine.

Nicole

Look forward to that feature! Coupons are Always appreciated and useful for us shoppers!

What about pet supply coupons? I think I could talk my sister into that - she is bestfriendsgeneralstore.com and sells dog toys and supplies. (I don't have an interest in the business - so I hape that was OK to post.)

Something else to think about (that I just thought about lol.)

A home computer and access to the internet are IMO 'luxury' items. Unless a person needs the internet to work of course. I got along just fine before I had a computer and an internet connection.

So I have to scratch my head when someone says they can't afford a $25 per YEAR fee to be here but they can afford anywhere between $23-$44 dollars a MONTH just to have the internet in the first place. Not to mention a computer, those aren't cheap either.

Like Lin said - it's $2 a month. Doesn't get much cheaper!

My 2 cents!

Nicole

I think it would be wise to lower the price, as I feel more people would subscribe. The $25 fee for people who are just thinking about joining but not sure about it might hesitate at that fee. However a lower fee might bring more people on board....and once they've been here for awhile they'll most likely be hooked like alot of us.

I probably would have hesitated paying $25 initially...but now it's a must have in my everyday life.

Deb

I came to DG through the Garden Watchdog. It was many years before I decided to splurge and buy into the subscription. I was doing a google search on a specific peonies and with every seach up popped DG. Only I couldn't see anything but the first post. In the end, I wanted to subscribe for a year 1) To see what it was all about & 2) As a thank you for what help the Garden Watchdog has been to me.
In no time you are hooked. The price increase was nearly double (in my mind) and I decided to cancel a subscription to a magazine in the future as a way to even up the cost. For me, it is about making choices. $20 seems like a more fair price increment on the increase, but again, I know that everybody has to make their living.
Thanks for asking. Not many companies would care that much.

If it can be easily accomplished with programming, I would suggest letting current subscribers purchase a reduced-price gift subscription for someone else, (especially non-subscribers.)

Most of us probably have a gardening-minded friend, colleague or family member, and it would be nice to be able to purchase them a gift subscription for half-price or $15 and get them started here.

If you're already a subscriber here, you're hooked (*grin* c'mon....admit it - we all have really comfy chairs in front of our computers now!), and if we want to expand the circle, maybe we can make it easier and more affordable to share DG with a friend.

I like that idea! I'd buy at least one half-price subscription.

Hi Dave!
I certainly appreciate your concern regarding the increase. I just joined as a subscriber last September. I am confused about the difference between a member and a subscriber. Is the subscriber the only group that pays? I know this must sound like a silly question but I am truly confused.

I know that I have benefitted from being a subscriber but I don't think that I will be renewing next September. I am living on a meager disablility pension in Canada and with the exchange rate the increase is too much. It is going to be so difficult to handle the increase. I am wobbling on this decision but will wait and see what the future holds.

If you could address my question it would be appreciated. I am probably not the only one who is unclear regarding the difference between a member and a subscriber.

Thanks for caring!

Elaine

Elaine,

You can read all about subscriptions here:

http://davesgarden.com/subscribe.php

In short, most forums are only accessible for subscribers.

dave

Thanks for the quick response Dave!

The link was very helpful and answered my question. I knew the information was there somewhere but my sitting time is limited by physical restrictions and I pass over much of the info because I'd never get through it all. What's a gal to do, huh?

Thanks again for this very handy link!!!!!

Elaine

I know when I first found DG, I was strapped for cash. The option to get 3 months for $5 was really helpful, plus I learned all of the benefits. Then I didn't mind paying full price when I could.
How about, if you offer the 3 months at a reduced cost so people can get their feet wet, but limit it to maybe allowing them to only do it a few times?? Then offer the upgrade to full year membership? Or would that be a nightmare to track?

For me the $25 is no big deal, but I definitely think that more people will hesitate about signing up for $25 vs the old $15 rate. And especially since a lot of the newer forums are open to everyone, there may not be as much incentive as there used to be for people to pay for the subscription. For me personally there are a lot of forums that I love that are subscribers only and I wouldn't want to give them up, but for someone especially who's fairly new to gardening, I think there are enough forums open to everyone that they may not see the value in subscribing. So I think dropping the subscription rate would help with that, either that or instead of allowing people to post in all the open forums, let them read whatever they want in the open forums, but limit them to only posting in the beginner forums for example unless they sign up for a subscription. I don't know if that would work or not--just a thought!

Great idea, ecrane3!

we could always do an "honor" system. the ones who can't pay 25 for whatever reason just tell you and they can pay 15 like always. this is the only place on the web or in person where i feel an honor system would even work properly. there are some honest people left in the world and i think 3/4's of them are on dg.

i'll still pay my 25.

I think a consensus here is that those who are already addicted to DG will gladly pay $25, but new members who haven't gotten hooked will have trouble justifying the cost.

Now, here's some extra information: we are making roughly the same amount of money. It's been almost 2 months since we made the change, and we now have a pretty good feel for how well it's working. The income is the same, but of course the numbers of subscriptions are lower.

So, the question becomes: are we as a company satisfied with this? Either way, we're getting the same amount, but for me personally, and I think for the community here, I'd rather have more subscribers than less, regardless of income.

What I'm thinking about is bringing it down to $19.95 per year and watch closely for a few days and see how the new members react to that.

dave

If go up, I understand but for me won't be afford if go up 10 bucks more so thank for let everyone know.

Good Idea Dave .. I've always been told that from an Advertising standpoint, the general public will go for a price of $19.95 over something priced at $20.00 ... I don't know why that is, or if it's true but I've been told that it sounds like a better deal to most people!? I wish folks would realize what a bargain this website is at a little over $2.00 per month! Maybe in your advertising you can print that fact so more people would "think" about it and realize an annual subscription isn't that expensive after all!

Lin

Hi Dave!

I know that your concern is genuinely heartfelt and I appreciate that more than words can say. Your integrity is what draws the same kind of people to DG.

At $19.95 I would definitely renew. I could swing that for what I get back. I can appreciate that people who are in a financial position to not have to worry about the increase probably have difficulty understanding that the increase is really difficult for others (THIS IS NOT INTENDED TO BE OFFENSIVE TO ANYONE AND I APOLOGIZE IF ANYONE IS OFFENDED BUT THIS HAS JUST BEEN MY OWN PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IN LIFE). Please don't hit me with a 2 X 4!!!!
I just feel that if I'm not honest that I have no voice in this. I appreciate that you are asking for input and I can't stay silent and then just not renew.

Thanks for caring

Elaine

I absolutely agree with all these folks who are astonished that you even ask the question....which is one of the many reasons that I would pay the price asked - regardless. But my daughter, who is just getting into the gardening thing balked at the price. I understood her reasons, and I have a feeling that other newbies would also balk at a $25.00 subscription when there are so many "free" sites. They have no clue that this site is more than worth it. I love the idea of gift subscribtions and would definately buy one for her....is this a possibility now, or something that is being considered? Please let me know....you will have one sale without a hesitation at all.

I'm pretty sure Gift Subscriptions ARE Available!

Well, from someone who is a new subscriber at the $25 price...
It took me a long time to decide to subscribe because at the time I did think that it couldn't possibly offer more than what I could find by just googling what I was looking for. I first stumbled on DG about a year ago, maybe more, but I only used the free resources - mostly PlantFiles. After a while, I realized that every google search for a particular plant landed me back here so I finally took the plunge with a subscription. I justified it as only being a bit more than a magazine subscription, but at 19.95, I probably would have joined sooner because that really is equivalent to magazine subscription. Now that I'm here, I love it! (and I would gladly take extra days on my subscription, wink wink)
One thing that kept me from subscribing earlier is all the free resources here, ie. 10 free Plantfile searches a day was more than I ever needed. Maybe reduce the free stuff so that it is more like a trial instead of something people could likely use indefinitely, ie. 3 searches a day instead of 10, can read posts but not post themselves or search the posts, can only add 3 journal entries, 3 trade items, etc.
The gift subscriptions idea is a great one.

Elaine, I don't think many people think about how much the subscription costs with an exchange rate. Please don't forget that we do have an Angel Fund.

Yes, the price of DG is only about $2.00 per month but when renewal comes along it's $25.00 plus an exchange rate if it applies.

Sometimes I feel like DG is a luxury that I really can't afford and other times I feel it's a necessity that I can't do without. If the price of gas keeps going up and my electric company keeps getting rate increases I will surely be one of the people who will have to think about whether or not I can afford it.

I got to meet three wonderful people on Easter Sunday because of DG - priceless.

Dave, I think trying out the $19.95 is a great idea. You might also want to provide current subscribers an incentive for bringing in new subscribers. Maybe a couple of dollars off their renewal or adding a couple of months onto their subscription. I also agree with Wickedelph that you can cut down on the freebies.

Yes, $19.95 definitely sounds more do-able than $25. for a renewal. (I wasn't planning to renew at the $25. rate.)

And that's a good point about reducing the freebies so that it is more like a trial subscription to use them.

People keep talking about how it only costs $2 a month. It's important to realize that we're paying the $25 up front. People that are living on a budget don't have $25 to send into their credit card company when the bill comes, so they end up paying more with the interest added in. I don't think the credit card company would take $2 a month and not charge any interest fees. Some people cut what they can out of their budgets in order to afford internet access......sometimes there's nothing left to cut.

I like Terry's idea....I know there are some here who have bought gift subscriptions for others....especially for those over seas that have a high exchange rate. I would be more apt to give a $15.00 gift subscription than I would a $25.00 one...due to the fact that I live on a VERY limited income....but I do enjoy sharing my love of DG with others!! Jo

Edited because terryr was posting at the same time I was....I was refering to Terry (AKA Go-vols!! LOL

This message was edited Apr 10, 2007 4:51 PM

What is the Angel Fund?